Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

Morning found some new invitations for the Little Frogs to investigate (invitations, or provocations are toys or materials laid out in new ways to invite or provoke reactions, interactions or questions).

Most intriguing was the discovery of a flattened box, which soon became a tunnel and a cave. Friends really struggled to figure out how to safely use the space - at this age, most friends don't have a solid sense of where they are in space and how close or far away they are from other kids. Hence, the frequent "bonkings" that are part of the life of a Little Frog.

We made another batch of playdough today, which is an activity that the Frogs really enjoy. Measuring, counting, dumping, stirring and mixing colors allow us to develop a wide variety of skills while having fun at the same time.

At Morning Meeting, we sang a new favorite song, "Make New Friends, " that we are also learning in sign language. When we came to the sign for "warms the heart," we had an impromptu discussion about where your heart is.

Outside, friends found more Spider-ider-iders!

And we continued to revel in, and figure out how to play together.

Then we found some tools to let us listen to our hearts.

We took a walk to the Monet bridge for storytime.

The Turtles stopped by for a surprise visit. Then we read, "Where The Wild Things Are," and roared our terrible roars and gnashed our terrible teeth. Then took our wild rumpus back to our room for lunch.

Artside, Outside, Upside Day

Today, we broke out the paints and the Little Frog artists used brushes and fingers to create some art.

The Little Frogs focused on what happens when colors mix and swirl together, using their upper bodies and arms and hands to control the flow of paint. Painting on both the table and the easel helps friends tune up the larger muscles that they will need in order to eventually develop a writing grip.

The guinea pigs continue to be a regular stop as friends circulate through the room, and a number of friends spend a great deal of time with Nellie and Princess Froggy - observing them, feeding them and even talking with them (and translating what the guinea pigs have to say).

As has become our Tuesday ritual, we went down to the Turtle room for Inside Outside Day. We joined them for Morning Meeting, where we had a puppet show. The puppets were having a friendship dilemma - coincidentally similar to dilemmas faced by our friends. Specifically, two puppet friends had decided that third friend could not play with them. The Turtles and the Little Frogs offered a variety of solutions, until the problem was solved.

Afterwords, we went for a walkabout, and the Little Frogs found themselves trying to figure out how to climb - initially, a pole and then various trees.

We did not actually find a climbable tree, although we did find one where we could shake the branches.

We came cross a variety of treasures and then stopped on the Meetinghouse benches, which have recently turned into rocket ships, and took several flights to other planets.

We worked on a number of building projects - one which began as an obstacle course and continues to take on new identities - including a castle, a movie theater, a road and a tunnel. 

Back inside, we read, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," which was a definite favorite. The Little Frogs particularly enjoy books that allow them to participate in the story (in this case shouting, "But he was still hungry!"). At lunch, we continued our discussion about how we might be able to climb up a tree. We considered steps and wished that we had Harold's Purple Crayon to draw them with (another great book). We also considered getting a ladder to get up a tree, which led to a comparison of the different color ladders we have at our houses. Somehow, this took us to a conversation about flashlights and what it's like in the dark. You can really get a sense of how the Little Frogs are coming together by the conversations they are beginning to have with one another.